(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system that control a drive torque of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a method and a system that control a drive torque of a vehicle in which there is a change in a torque of a predetermined magnitude when drive power of the vehicle enters a zone in which a predetermined maximum output is generated to allow a driver to feel that the drive power of the vehicle enters the maximum output zone during traveling.
(b) Description of the Related Art
As well known, an instrument cluster that provides travel information and various information items is installed in a vehicle. The instrument cluster commonly includes a speedometer that displays a travel speed of a vehicle, an engine tachometer that displays a rotation speed of an engine, and various warning lamps that display a vehicle error or failure.
In addition, the instrument cluster may include a drive power gauge (PG) that display drive power of a vehicle as shown in FIG. 1. In the drive power gauge PG, a boosting zone and/or an assist zone (BAZ) that displays a zone in which drive power is increased may be formed. The BAZ is mainly installed within a hybrid vehicle that uses an efficient combination of engine power and drive motor power.
A hybrid vehicle may include, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, an engine 10, a drive motor 20, an engine clutch 30 that interrupts power between the engine 10 and the drive motor 20, a transmission 40, a differential gear 50, a battery 60, an integrated starter-generator 70 that starts the engine 10 or generates power by a torque of the engine 10, and wheels 80.
In addition, the hybrid vehicle may include a hybrid control unit (HCU) 200 that operates the hybrid vehicle, an engine control unit (ECU) 110 that operates the engine 10, a motor control unit (MCU) 120 that operates the drive motor 20, a transmission control unit (TCU) 140 that operates the transmission 40, and a battery control unit (BCU) 160 that manages the battery 60.
The BCU 160 may be referred to as a battery management system (BMS). The integrated starter-generator 70 may be referred to as an integrated starter and generator (ISG) or a hybrid starter and generator (HSG).
The above-described hybrid vehicle may be driven in travel modes such as an electric vehicle (EV) mode that is a pure hybrid vehicle mode in which only the power of the drive motor 20 is used, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode in which torque of the engine 10 is used as main power and torque of the drive motor 20 is used as auxiliary power, and a regenerative braking (RB) mode in which brake and inertia energy is collected by power generation of the drive motor 20 to be charged in the battery 60 when a vehicle is stopped (e.g., the vehicle brake is engaged) or travels by inertia.
As described above, since the hybrid vehicle uses mechanical energy of the engine and electrical energy of the battery together and optimal operation regions of the engine and the drive motor and collects energy by the drive motor when stopped, fuel consumption may be enhanced and energy may be efficiently used.
Although the drive power gauge is installed in the instrument cluster of the above-described hybrid vehicle or a common vehicle, when a driver watch the instrument cluster, it may be difficult to recognize whether the corresponding vehicle travels in the BAZ.
The above information disclosed in this section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.